Wednesday, 4 July 2012

Peugeot 208 GTI

Well, this is exciting news - not only does the latest Peugeot concept represent something that's worthy of the GTI badge, but it's also not hideous. It looks as if the French firm have been keeping an eye on the increasingly premiumised output of its competitors (the Citroën DS3, the ever-more-solid Renault Clio and so on) and decided that they want to move away from cheap, lowest-common-denominator stuff like the 207. Harsh? Maybe so. But I just don't like the 207...
The 208 GTI does look like a genuinely strong proposition; attractive, well thought-out design, with power from the RCZ's 200bhp 1.6-litre turbo four-pot. It's also much lighter than the 207.
Lighter is better. More power is the path to happiness. Improved aesthetics... well, that wasn't hard. Let's hope the suspension gurus have done their stuff - this could be the GTI we've been waiting for since the demise of the 306. Indeed, it emulates the iconic 205 GTI (one of SuckSqueezeBangBlow's all-time favourite cars) in numerous ways, from its pared-back lightness to the GTI badges on the rear quarters.
Nice to see things back on track.

Pics by SuckSqueezeBangBlow, taken on the Peugeot stand (staffed by very enthusiastic and cheery people) at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.